Sean Reynolds

Position: 1B
Level: Instructs
Affiliate: Marlins Instructs
League: Instructional League
Born: 04/19/1998 (Age: 25)
Height: 6'7''
Weight: 237
B/T: Left / Right
Acquired: 4th Rd., 2016 MLB First-Year Player Draft (MIA)

Prospect Spotlight

Reynolds drew varying opinions from area scouts leading up to the 2016 Draft. Some preferred him on the mound, and others didn’t turn him in due to a belief he wasn’t signable. Miami, however, saw a premium talent with raw power too enticing to make Reynolds a pitcher to begin his pro career, drafting him as an OF/1B in the fourth round and agreeing to a $600K bonus. Reynolds has not yet reached full-season ball after 2.5 years in the Marlins organization, though his 80-grade raw power finally started showing up in games this summer for Batavia.

At 6-foot-7 and 237 pounds, Reynolds has a hulking frame that’s surprisingly athletic. He moves very well for his size, posting nearly average run times up the line and showing speed underway by stealing 13 bases this sumner. Stunning raw power is the calling card here, as Reynolds puts the ball out to all fields from the left side with towering loft drives. The ease with which the ball explodes off his bat is rare, and I was reminded of Chris Davis seeing how effortlessly Reynolds creates power in his swing. Unfortunately, his strikeout numbers and ability to hit for average are Davis-esque, too: despite leading the New York-Penn League in homeruns, he also lead all qualified hitters with a 42-percent strikeout rate while finishing bottom-three in batting average. He won’t ever collect many overall hits, but I saw enough athleticism and looseness in the hands to project increased ability to shorten up his path with more reps. He shows very advanced hitting IQ and zone awareness, and already has an understanding that his profile is truly that of a three outcomes bat.

Defensively, his NBA-sized frame makes an impact at first base, giving infielders a huge target to throw to and showing good footwork and soft hands around the bag. Reynolds touched the low-90s on the mound as a high school senior, and his cannon arm was on display firing across the infield on several occasions.

The comp list for guys with this type of size, athleticism, and raw power is a polarizing one: Reynolds has Adam Dunn (6’6’’/285 lbs.) raw power with Corey Hart (6’6’’/240 lbs.) speed, but there’s a huge gap between his floor and ceiling given the strikeouts and limited present hit tool. He would be entering his junior year of college if he hadn’t signed as a prep, and given the raw power, I think Reynolds would be considered one of the top college bats in the 2019 class had he gone to school. There’s 30+ HR potential here, but a scenario also exists where he never hits enough to reach that lofty ceiling. Meet Sean Reynolds, one of the most fascinating prospects in baseball.